Software Lojack

[Roland Smith]

On Mon, Sep 24, 2007 at 06:33:30PM -0400, Jerry wrote:
> Hi All,
> 
> I am wondering if there is already written (in the ports) some utility 
> that would either periodically and/or on boot up, take note of if the
> machine is connected to the net and if so, send some information to a
> configured address giving some basic information such as date/time
> and the network address where it is connected.   

You could write a shell-script that does this and run it as a cron(8) job.

> The intent would be to put this in laptops/notebooks belonging to an
> organization/business to track where they were, especially if they
> were stolen.   I know, if they got in to the hands of professional
> theft ring, the first thing they would do is wipe them, but it could
> help track them otherwise.

Since most windows users wouldn't have a clue what to do with a FreeBSD
machine, I think _every_ laptop would be wiped.

To secure your laptops and mitigate the consequences of theft there are
several things you can do;
- Encrypt the /home partitions. This will not prevent theft but will
  reduce the chance of your data falling into the wrong hands.
- Make frequent backups to prevent data loss.
- Glue engraved labels to the machine, e.g. to the lid where it can't be
  removed without damaging the LCD screen. This might make the machine
  less desirable to a stolen goods dealer.

Roland
-- 
R.F.Smith                                   http://www.xs4all.nl/~rsmith/
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